Areas of Natural Occurrence of
Melipona scutellaris
Latreille, 1811
(Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the state of Bahia, Brazil
ROGÉRIO M.O. ALVES1, CARLOS A.L. CARVALHO1, BRUNO A. SOUZA2 and WYRATAN S. SANTOS1 1Centro de Ciências Agrárias Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia,
Caixa Postal 118, 44380-000 Cruz das Almas, BA, Brasil
2Embrapa Meio-Norte, Núcleo de Pesquisas com Abelhas, Av. Duque de Caxias, 5650, Buenos Aires, 64006-220 Teresina, PI, Brasil
Manuscript received on March 15, 2010; accepted for publication on October 26, 2010.
ABSTRACT
The bee Melipona scutellaris is considered the reared meliponine species with the largest distribution in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, with records from the state of Rio Grande do Norte down to the state of Bahia. Considering the importance of this species in the generation of income for family agriculture and in the preservation of areas with natural vegetation, this study aimed at providing knowledge on the distribution of natural colonies of M. scutellaris in the state of Bahia. Literature information, interviews with stingless bee beekeepers, and expeditions were conducted to confirm the natural occurrence of the species. A total of 102 municipalities showed records for M. scutellaris, whose occurrence was observed in areas ranging from sea level up to 1,200-meter height. The occurrence of this species in the state of Bahia is considered to be restricted to municipalities on the coastal area and the Chapada Diamantina with its rainforests. Geographic coordinates, elevation, climate and vegetation data were obtained, which allowed a map to be prepared for the area of occurrence in order to support conservation and management policies for the species.
Key words: Stingless bee beekeeping, uruçu bee, stingless bees, distribution.
Correspondence to: Bruno de Almeida Souza E-mail: bruno@cpamn.embrapa.br
INTRODUCTION
The species
Melipona scutellaris
, locally known
as “Uruçu do Nordeste” or “Uruçu verdadeira”,
was one of the first bee species domesticated
by Potiguara, kiriri, Xucuru, Pataxó, Paiaku,
Tupicuruba and Aymoré indians. The Portuguese
colonizers, who enjoyed honey of this species,
soon learned rearing techniques that led uruçu to
become one of the most frequently reared species
of stingless bees in the Northeast and, consequently,
the subject of hunting in order to extract honey
(kerr et al. 1996, Imperatriz-Fonseca et al. 2007).
Mariano Filho (1911) stated that this species was
distributed from the Amazon Region down to the state
of Bahia. Schwarz (1932) referred to
M. scutellaris
and reported the states of Bahia and Pernambuco as
areas of occurrence, where this species was found
by Ducke. In the same study, in an analysis of the
distribution proposed by Drory, which included the
state of Ceará, Schwarz analyzed a colony that was
maintained in that state but actually came from the
state of Bahia. In another study, Schwarz (1948)
reported that
M. scutellaris
distribution would
(Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences)
extend from Mato Grosso to Pará, and that the bee
also occurred in Guyana, Suriname and Panama.
Lamartine (1962) studied the distribution of this
species and demonstrated that it inhabits the humid
region of the Northeast and can be found throughout
the Northeastern coast, from the state of Bahia up to
Rio Grande do Norte, mainly occupying the Atlantic
Rainforest biome, although it might also occur in some
inland areas in the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas,
and Bahia (Nogueira-Neto 1970, Oliveira et al. 1986).
These studies expanded the distribution area for this
species. However, it is believed that such reports can
be attributed mainly to information from collaborators
that would send specimens to taxonomists.
According to Nogueira-Neto (1970), the term
“uruçu” designates several bees of the Brazilian
fauna, which may be one of the reasons for the
equivocal information on the widespread distribution
of
M. scutellaris
. Observations made by the author
RMOA in the Amazon Region allowed to verify
that a large part of the local population is comprised
of northeastern people that introduced regional
terms during colonization times. An interesting
fact also concerns to the existence of a species
—
Melipona eburnea
— in the Municipality of
Careiro-AM, which visually does not differ from
M.
scutellaris
and is called “uruçu” by some stingless
bee beekeepers. Such similarities can be confirmed
in Schwarz (1932) who cited the classification of
this species performed by Ducke in 1916, then
considered to be
M. eburnea
, a subspecies of
M.
scutellaris
, i.e.,
M. scutellaris eburnea
.
Santos and Amorim (2007) emphasized that
the delimitation of endemic areas depends on the
accuracy of phylogenetic information; therefore, it is
quite plausible that contradictions will exist when the
distribution of a species in a given area is established.
Observations made by RMOA during excursions
to Northeastern Brazil confirmed that the species
inhabits the coastal strip that extends from Rio Grande
do Norte to Bahia and is distributed through the states
of Pernambuco, Paraíba, Alagoas and Sergipe. In
the states of Bahia and Pernambuco it can be found
inland in humid mountain ranges; the largest rearings
are located on the coast and in the highlands, such as
Caruaru and Garanhuns in the state of Pernambuco
and on the coast of the state of Bahia.
Bahia has a vast expanse of land with
rainforests distributed in many regions, especially
the coastal area, which spans for 1,000 km where
once existed one of the country’s largest Atlantic
rainforest areas. This coastal area is characterized
by ombrophilous and humid forest vegetation,
which is the ideal habitat for several bee species
including social species of the subtribe Meliponina.
Within this context,
M. scutellaris
stands out
because it is the best known and most managed
stingless bee species in Bahia, inhabiting biomes
with similar characteristics, but in distinct and
sometimes little known areas. As the stingless bee
beekeeping activity increases in the state and the
demand for stingless bee products is on the rise, the
pursuit for new information on Northeastern Uruçu
has been valued and expanded.
This study aimed at identifying the areas of
natural occurrence of
M. scutellaris
L. (Apidae:
Meliponina) in the state of Bahia, Brazil, providing
background information for future conservation
and management strategies for the species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A database containing the localities in the state of
Bahia with
M. scutellaris
records was organized in
an electronic spreadsheet and fed with information
obtained by three means: (1) interviews with
residents of the region about the existence of
the species at the locality for later verification
in locu
; (2) collection of bees in the field at sites
and later sent for identification to the Entomology
Laboratory at
Universidade Federal do Recôncavo
da Bahia
(UFRB), Cruz das Almas-BA, Brazil.
Climatic, topographic and vegetation data
were obtained from Superintendência de Estudos
Econômicos e Sociais da Bahia (SEI 2007) and
from Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística
(IBGE 1992, 2007). Geographic coordinates and
elevation data were obtained with a MLRSP 12X
GPS receiver and supplemented with information
from the SEI database (2002, 2007). The climate
classification and division into mesoclimates were
made according to the differences in humidity of
each locality (IBGE 1981).
Individual lines were constructed from basic
units (coordinates) representing the distance among
the points. The intersection of these coordinates
resulted in a panbiogeographic node that represents
the area of occurrence of the species (Morrone
2004, Yanez-Ordóñez et al. 2008).
The information was used to construct maps of
occurrence for the species in the state of Bahia using
the SPRING 4.1.1 software (Camara et al. 1996).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The occurrence of
M. scutellaris
was recorded in
102 municipalities of Bahia, from a total of 417,
corresponding to 24.5%. The climate, elevation
range and geographic coordinate data for the
natural distribution of
M. scutellaris
in Bahia are
summarized in Table I.
DISTRIBUTION AND CLIMATE IN THE AREA OF
NATURAL OCCURRENCE
Based on the surveys and visits made, it can be
stated that, in general, the species was restricted to
the state’s humid and sub-humid regions, with the
occurrence of forests and contact areas surrounded
in some regions by relatively dry areas, which
constitutes an ecological barrier among larger
forest refuge areas that, according to P.E. Vanzolini
(unpublished data), are small survival areas. This
distribution can be visualized by marking the
geographic coordinates of the municipalities where
the species occurs and through the construction of
dispersal lines that, according to Morrone (2004),
Total number of municipalities
Elevation Variation (m)
Latitude Variation
Longitude Variation
Climates in the area*
Humidity
index* Vegetation in the area*
102 6 to 1040
10°27’59” to 13°56’28”
37°36’35” to 41°23’22”
Humid 40 to 60 Ombrophilous forest
Humid 40 to 60 Ombrophilous forest/Seasonal forest
Humid to sub-humid 20 to 60 Ombrophilous forest/Seasonal forest
Humid to sub-humid 0 to 40 Seasonal forest
Humid to sub-humid 0 to 40 Seasonal forest/Deciduous forest
Sub-humid + 20 to - 20 Seasonal forest/Deciduous forest
Sub-humid + 20 to - 20** Seasonal forest/Deciduous forest
Sub-humid + 20 to - 20** Deciduous forest Forest/caatinga interface
Sub-humid to
Semi-arid 0 to - 20** Forest/caatinga interface TABLE I
Natural occurrence of Melipona scutellaris in the state of Bahia.
can determine the path followed by a species.
Humid climate localities showed the highest
number of colonies; in areas of sub-humid climate
the number of colonies was smaller, especially
when they reach the transition border between the
forest and the caatinga or the cerrado.
The characteristic for the regional climate
type and its mesoclimate variations are based on
formulas that take into account a maximum humidity
condition (IBGE 1981). Some municipalities show
both regional and local climate variations, with
variations in humidity index, which will allow the
existence of a vegetation typical of high humidity
indices. Based on these data, the geographic limits
were defined for the distribution of the species in
the state (Table II).
Municipality Boundary Elevation (m) Latitude Longitude Climate
Senhor do Bonfim North 533 10°27'59" 40°09'34" Sub-humid to dry and semi-arid
Camamu Southeast 34 13°56'28" 39°07'19" Humid
Salvador East 24 12°58'12" 38°30'46" Humid
Conde Northeast 66 11°48'31" 37°36'43" Humid
Lafaiete Coutinho South 558 13°39'25" 40°12'46" Sub-humid to dry and semi-arid Lençóis West 748 12°33'42" 41°23'31" Humid - humid to humid and
sub-humid to dry
Barra da Estiva Southwest 1.026 13°36'50" 41°19'22" Sub-humid to dry and semi-arid Morro do Chapéu Northwest 1040 11°32'57" 41°09'02" Sub-humid to dry and semi-arid
TABLE II
Geoclimatic boundaries of occurrence of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
Source: SEI 2007.
In the municipality of Serra Preta (12°09’37”S
and 39°19’54”W) both reared and forest colonies
were found, confirming reports of old local residents
on the occurrence of
M. scutellaris
. Most of the
area in this municipality is located in the dry zone;
however, there are continuous mountain ranges with
the predominance of semi-decidual forest vegetation
with a high humidity index (SEI 2007). Between Serra
Preta and Ipirá (12°09’30”S and 39°44’14”) (40 km
apart from each other) there have been reports by
residents of the region about the species being found
in their mountain ranges, leading to the assumption
that the humid forests that once existed there allowed
the occurrence of uruçu in the region since rearings of
the species can be found in the municipality of Baixa
Grande (11°57’35”S and 40°10’05”W) (sub-humid
and dry climate), which lies at 50 km from Ipirá on
the same road (BA 052 = Estrada do Feijão).
The fact that the current plant formation was
observed in the municipalities along this route
allows the statement to be made that there was a
continuity of the seasonal forest currently very
anthropized and with a strong presence of the
Caatinga-Seasonal Forest interface in Anguera
(12°09’04”S and 39°14’47”W), Ipirá and Baixa
Grande (11º57’35”S and 40°10’05”W).
The municipality of Morro do Chapéu is the
northwest border of occurrence of the species in the
state, as the local forest contains colonies both in
stingless bee beekeeping facilities and under natural
conditions. The habitat where the species occurs
comprises the entire mountain range that goes from
Morro do Chapéu (11°33’00”S and 41°09’22”W) to
Senhor do Bonfim (10°27’41”S and 40°11’22”W),
and 40°25’08”W), Mundo Novo (11°51’32”S and
40°28’21”W) and Tapiramutá (11°50’50”S and
40°47’29”W), whose area showed the highest number
of observed colonies and is characterized by
sub-humid and sub-sub-humid to dry climates. The western
border is the municipality of Lençóis (12°33’47”S
and 41°23’24”W), where the species is well known
and intensively reared, with distribution along the
ranges of Andaraí (12°48’26”S and 41°19’53”W),
Itaetê (12°59’11”S and 40°58’21”W) and Barra da
Estiva (13°37’34”S and 41°19’37”W); the latter is
considered the southwest border.
The regions located in the middle of the area,
consisting mainly of the municipalities of Castro
Alves (12°45’56”S and 39°25’42”W), Santa Teresinha
(12°46’19”S and 39°31’24”W), Amargosa (13°09’49”S
and 39º36’17”W) and those in the Jequiriçá River
valley are characterized as places where the species is
present in high areas with humid to sub-humid climate.
The state’s southern border is Lafaiete Coutinho
(13°39’21”S and 40°12’45”W), which lies near
Maracás (13°26’28”S and 40°25’51”W) and Planaltino
(13°15’32”S and 40°22’08”W); this route may indicate
the linkage between the Coast and the Plateau through
Itaetê. The strip that comprises Jandaíra (11°33’51”S
and 37°47’04”W) to the northeast and Camamu
(13°56’41”S and 39°06’14”W) to the southeast are the
sites with the highest concentrations of colonies and
rearings, comprising areas with humid and humid to
sub-humid climates and the existence of forests at sea
level with precipitations above 1,500 mm/year.
The municipalities of the occurrence of uruçu
are connected between one another possibly
following a typical vegetation associated with those
localities (Seasonal or decidual forest) (Fig. 1). This
observation is in accordance with the characteristics
of forest areas, which show favorable conditions of
food, humidity and temperature, as well as allow
a better distribution of the species in strips which,
in some places, are represented by transition areas.
Transition zones located on the interfaces between
biomes represent biotic hybridization events caused
by ecological changes that allow a mixture of different
biotic components and where several species can be
maintained (Morrone 2004). In the case above, the
hybrid zones are the seasonal and decidual forests that
possess favorable characteristics for the development
of the species under threshold humidity conditions.
The distribution of free-living insects results
from factors such as latitudinal gradient (richness and
abundance decrease with the elevation), the effect of
habitat and favorable conditions (mesic habitats have
higher richness and abundance than xeric ones due
to the presence of higher humidity and temperature
conditions at any elevation), and precipitation amount
and frequency (Martins 1985, Carneiro et al. 1995).
In general, the distribution of terrestrial animals in the
continents is correlated with great plant formations, or
with temperature and humidity, or with a combination
of both facts (P.E. Vanzolini, unpublished data).
Areas that interface with different climate
types such as areas with the joint occurrence of
seasonal forest and caatinga determine conditions
that show the lowest numbers of colonies found.
The abundance and diversity of food sources act as
relevant variables in the determination of richness
of local bee faunas (Oliveira and Silveira 2007).
VEGETATION IN THE AREA OF NATURAL OCCURRENCE
An analysis of the type of vegetation found in the
habitats where
M. scutellaris
occurs in the state of
Bahia revealed that the species became adapted
to the vegetation of humid and sub-humid forests
known as Ombrophilous and Seasonal Forest with
its variations, decidual and semi-decidual, and
trees with large hollows in all locations where
the bee exists, even in municipalities with the
predominance of transitional vegetation (contact).
(2005) observed the nest building adaptation of
M.
scutellaris
in coconut tree hollows located in the
state’s coastal region.
Martins (1985) explained that the degree of
air humidity is a crucial factor in the formation of
floristic and especially faunistic landscapes in the
same region, leading to the assumption that the
species started to spread from the coast towards
mountainous areas following the humid vegetation
that existed in those areas.
These conditions may have favored the
stingless bee dispersal that, according to kerr and
Maule (1964), began in regions with humid climates
in South America, where the highest diversity of
meliponine species can be found.
According to M.F.F. Costa Pinto (unpublished
data), the mountainous areas of the plateau do not
belong to any defined phytogeographic domain
and are better classified as a vegetation mosaic that
forms small-sized xerophytic communities, which
Fig. 1 - Areas of natural occurrence of Melipona scutellaris in the state of Bahia, Brazil. SPRING software v. 4.1 (Camara et al. 1996).
makes the nest building of
M. scutellaris
more
difficult, since these bees use cavities in usually
large trees for their nests.
In municipalities such as Itaetê, where the
elevation at some points reaches 800m, although for
the most part it is around 300m, and the predominant
vegetation shows xerophylous characteristics, nests
were found only in mountainous seasonal forest
areas. In the municipality of Santa Inês (13°17’32”S
and 39°49’08”W), which sits in a low-lying area
and whose vegetation is mostly xerophylous,
M.
scutellaris
can be found in caatinga-seasonal forest
transition sites in the most humid areas.
The occurrence of higher nest concentrations
in low-lying regions is probably due to the hot and
humid climate found in such places, which provides
greater colony internal temperature control, and
also because it facilitates the formation of humid
forests and greater tree growth with sufficient tree
hollows to build nests.
A study carried out by Silveira et al. (2002)
reported that several
Melipona
species depend
upon forest environments and are not found in
open environments, except in forest margins. An
exception is
M. quinquefasciata
, which occupies
cerrado and forest savanna plant communities in
Chapada do Araripe (Lima-Verde and Freitas 2002).
Therefore, it is possible that numerous species,
including
M. scutellaris
that 500 years ago had a
widespread distribution in the coastal region originally
covered with the Atlantic Rainforest, are now confined
can be found today due to the existence of humid
forest remnants around the municipality of Lençóis.
This fact demonstrates the occurrence of
this species in highland environments where
forest corridors existed in the past, such as the
mountain ranges of Ipirá, Anguera, Serra Preta,
Milagres (12°52’12”S and 39°51’32”W), Irajuba
(13°15’05”S and 40°05’04”W), Itaetê, Nova Itarana
(13°01’37”S and 40°04’16”W) and Marcionilio
Souza (13°00’11”S and 40°31’50”W).
NATURAL OCCURRENCE BOUDARIES
According to the natural occurrence boudaries for
the uruçu bee in Bahia, it can be observed that the
species has a wide distribution in the state, spanning
400 km on the north-south and east-west axes
(considering the municipality of Santa Teresinha as
the center) (Fig. 2).
ELEVATION OF AREAS OF OCCURRENCE
The data obtained demonstrate a wide elevation
distribution of
M. scutellaris
in the state, with
occurrences from the sea level on the coast to the
heights of Chapada Diamantina (Fig. 3).
Fig. 2 - Occurrence boundaries for the species Melipona scutellaris in the state of Bahia considering the approximate distance between bordering municipalities.
Considering the elevation variation in localities
with
M. scutellaris
records, three distinct groups of
populations of the species can be separated in the
state of Bahia as proposed by M.F.F. Costa Pinto
(unpublished data) (Table III).
Fig. 3 - Gradient of elevation distribution of Melipona scutellaris in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
Elevation (m) Number of
municipalities Groups *
0 to 100 36 Sea Level
Between 100 and 600 56 Intermediate
Above 600 10 High Ranges
TABLE III
Variation in elevation, number of municipalities and groups related to Melipona scutellaris (Apidae: Meliponina)
found in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
* Groups proposed by M.F.F. Costa Pinto (unpublished data).
Observations on the development of colonies
in the areas visited confirm differences according to
kerr et al. (1996) stated that the isolation and
specialization of meliponines seems to be mostly
the result of behavior peculiarities, especially
regarding the thermoregulation factor, and an
important trait that it is determinant in defining
habitats for these species.
As the elevation gradient increases, a reduction
can be observed in the number of colonies found in
the field, especially in seasonal forest areas and on
the interfaces between vegetation types, where a
smaller number of nesting sites was observed.
Ortiz-Mora and van Veen (1995) confirmed
the hypothesis formulated by Roubik (1989) that
meliponines demonstrate a certain tolerance to
cold and that the distribution of meliponines is
frequently more affected by a lack of suitable
nesting sites than by climatic reasons.
GENETIC DIVERSITY
An analysis of the collected individuals shows
morphological differences between workers of
popu-lations from different elevations. Wor-kers from coastal
colonies have a dark thorax (melanotic), while the
opposite occurs in mountainous regions, where workers
have a light thorax. Such variation might be associated
with the humidity in these areas which, according to
Martins (1985), influences the pigmentation of animals,
with a tendency to enhance color.
J.M.F. Camargo (unpublished data) studied
the geographic distribution and differentiation
of
Melipona seminigra
and acknowledged that
despite variations in integument color patterns
and pubescence, all individuals belonged to the
same species. Roubik (1992) cited that dark- or
light-colored
M. fasciata
subspecies can be readily
distinguished; the same occurs with forms of
M.
panamica
from Costa Rica and Panama.
Nunes et al. (2007) used morphometric
characters of the wings and observed the existence
of phenotypic genetic variation in
M. scutellaris
populations at different elevations. Molecular
studies using the RAPD technique conducted
by M.F.F. Costa Pinto (unpublished data) with
M. scutellaris
specimens confirmed that, despite
being visually different, the species found in the
entire state of Bahia is
M. scutellaris
, with the
same number of chromosomes and similar genetic
characteristics. However, there is the formation of
distinct groups due to a lack of gene flow among all
populations, thus creating genetic distances.
P.E. Vanzolini (unpublished data) clarified that,
in spite of the degree of divergence reached when
a given species becomes isolated, this fact per se
is not sufficient to prevent populations to cross
normally in nature. Colonies brought from regions
of higher elevations and introduced into the coastal
region of Bahia hybridized normally with colonies
from low-lying places. This fact may be used in
the future in breeding studies on these populations.
Moure (1971) studied
Melipona marginata
and
concluded that, despite the color parallelism and
microtasseling of the mesepisternum seen between
the two varieties on a geographic basis, the two
forms could not be close to each other since one
was from the mountains and the other, melanotic,
occurs on the coast of the state of Paraná, which is
not the case of
M. scutellaris
in Bahia.
Therefore, it can be seen that the more distant
the populations, the smaller the gene flow rate
becomes among them, leading to higher genetic
divergence. M.F.F. Costa Pinto (unpublished
data) considered that the high genetic distance
calculated among populations of
M. scutellaris
is a factor that indicates that the elevation
is interfering with the gene flow among the
populations, showing that vertical migration in
this species is difficult and making the exchange
of genetic material harder among populations of
different elevations in the state of Bahia.
of origin. Since bees are typically good fliers, it
is reasonable to think that they would not have
any problems in crossing geographic barriers
or in departing from areas where the climate
or the vegetation are inhospitable. However,
the distribution data suggest that many groups
of bees are not particularly good at crossing
barriers (UFV 2007). For most bees, dispersal
and expansion towards nearby land masses must
have occurred slowly, following the vegetation,
or by means of human transport.
This expansion suffers the influence of natural
causes that contribute to reduce the number of
species and areas of occurrence, such as fires and
the attack of enemies, as well as anthropic practices
such as deforestation, implementation of crops,
increases in human occupation areas and the action
of honey extractors that accelerate the process of
reduction in the number of colonies. Therefore,
in order to protect these bees, extensive and
continuous vegetation areas should be preserved
and management techniques should be adopted to
warrant the gene flow among populations (Kerr et
al. 2001, M.F. Ribeiro, unpublished data).
In this respect, stingless bee beekeeping could
be an important tool since it allows the exchange
of genetic materials (queens, brood disks and
colonies) among stingless bee beekeepers along
the elevation gradient within the area of natural
occurrence in the state of Bahia, especially on
the coast and in plateau ranges, mainly those
associated with humid forest areas.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq),
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da
Bahia (FAPESB) for financial support, and Instituto
Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos
Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA) for granting the
license nº 20016-1.
RESUMO
A abelha Melipona scutellaris é considerada a espécie criada de meliponíneo com maior distribuição no norte e nordeste do Brasil, com ocorrência registradas desde o Estado do Grande do Norte até o Estado da Bahia. Considerando a importância desta espécie na geração de renda para agricultura familiar e na manutenção de áreas com vegetação natural, este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer a distribuição de colônias naturais de M. scutellaris
no Estado da Bahia. Informações de literatura, entrevistas com meliponicultores e expedições foram realizadas para confirmar a ocorrência natural da espécie. Um total de 102 municípios apresentou registro de M. scutellaris, cuja ocorrência foi observada em áreas desde o nível do mar até 1.200 metros de altitude. A ocorrência desta espécie no Estado da Bahia é considerada como restrita a municípios da área costeira e da Chapada Diamantina, onde existem matas úmidas. Dados de coordenadas geográficas, altitude, clima e vegetação foram obtidos, possibilitando elaborar o mapa da área de ocorrência, subsidiando políticas de conservação e manejo da espécie.
Palavras-chave: Meliponicultura, abelha uruçu, abelhas sem ferrão, distribuição.
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